Many avoidable deaths occur each year when water vessels sink and passengers drown. Additionally, many people are reluctant to travel by water due to the actual or perceived concerns over the safety of the water vessel that they would be travelling on. Further, many water vessels have outdated or less than adequate safety devices due to cost and difficulty of maintenance and installation.
One present water safety method requires a water vessel to possess one flotation device per passenger. If a water vessel begins to sink, each passenger must then find a flotation device, which can be difficult in such a high stress situation. Furthermore, many water vessels do not actually possess the proper amounts of flotation devices due to the cost and storage space required.
Another present water safety method consists of a water vessel possessing enough inflatable rafts to support all of the passengers on the water vessel. This method requires less storage space than other methods, but does not alleviate the difficulties in readying the flotation devices in high stress situations. These devices must be inflated by a pump, an air compressor, or similar device. Some devices can be inflated instantly with compressed air devices, but some knowledge of how to use the device is required.
These techniques work, but are burdensome and not efficient. A solution that does not require passengers to know how to use it is needed. Additionally, a solution that alleviates storage, maintenance, and cost concerns is needed. There is also need for a water safety device that works in response to emergency situations as opposed to working in response to human being's reaction to emergency situations.